- Minister earlier blamed engineering challenges for diversion
•Atiku faults rerouting of coastal road, demands full contract disclosure
•Alleges FG’s plan to secure another $20bn loan for highway
Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, yesterday insisted that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway had not been abandoned, despite controversy over the rerouting of sections of the project.
The minister also confirmed that the federal government had proposed integrating the 400 kilometres of the East-West Road into the coastal corridor.
Umahi, who spoke to journalists after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, said the coastal highway remained intact, with construction ongoing at various sections, while surveyors and designers were working on the remaining stretches across Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
His clarification came amid criticism by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who faulted the rerouting of parts of the highway and demanded the publication of the original contract, revised designs, payments made to contractors and the financial implications of the changes.
Atiku also alleged that the federal government was preparing to seek another $20 billion loan, reportedly linked to payments for the highway and Hitech Construction Company, the contractor handling sections of the project. He challenged Tinubu to clarify whether the administration intended to approach the National Assembly for approval of the facility.
But Umahi maintained that the changes to sections of the coastal highway were informed by engineering considerations and did not amount to abandoning the project.
“The 750-kilometre coastal highway is intact and cannot be changed, and nobody has the powers to change it, because it’s already designed and it’s ongoing,” he said.
The minister disclosed that the administration had sought Tinubu’s approval to incorporate the 400-kilometre East-West Road, running from Edo State through the Niger Delta to Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, into the coastal highway.
He explained that the proposal was intended to improve connectivity along the corridor and address persistent flooding problems affecting sections of the existing East-West Road, some of which, he said, were constructed below flood levels.
“We are about to do the service lane. So, what we have done is to also seek the approval of Mr President to also add the 400 kilometres of East-West Road, starting from Edo State down to Akwa Ibom, and also to Cross River,” Umahi said.
He cited flood damage around Agbarho in Delta State as an example of the challenges confronting the existing road network, noting that the Delta State governor had intervened to provide relief. Similar problems, he added, existed in Edo State.
The minister said the government was determined to integrate the affected sections into a more durable corridor, rather than continue to contend with the consequences of roads constructed without adequate consideration of flooding.
“Nobody has abandoned the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. As we are talking now, we have designers, we have surveyors. We are surveying the axis of Edo State, Delta State, Bayelsa and Rivers, and that will be the end of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway,” he said.
On the project’s progress, Umahi said the 47.47-kilometre first section in Lagos was being fully constructed, while the 55-kilometre second section was expected to be ready by the middle of November 2026. He added that sections 3A and 3B, covering about 70.5 kilometres across the Niger Delta, were ongoing, with work in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states recording more than 40 per cent completion.
He stated that sections 4A and 4B, covering the Ogun-Ondo axis, were also progressing, with the alignment from Eleko in Lagos extending into Ondo State.
At the Calabar end of the highway, the minister said work had progressed beyond 40 per cent, while section five, a 62.5-kilometre stretch in Akwa Ibom State, had exceeded 20 per cent completion.
Earlier, defending the engineering decisions behind the rerouting, Umahi explained that the original alignment of sections 4A and 4B, covering parts of Ogun and Ondo states, presented significant construction challenges that would have substantially increased costs.
According to him, the original route passed through pits more than 100 metres deep, while suitable sharp sand was unavailable even at depths of up to 300 metres.
“We had to take a very serious engineering decision by making a detour, redesigning it to avoid such a route,” he said, adding that filling works involving more than 10 metres of sharp sand were almost completed.
The minister said the redesign was intended to avoid difficult terrain and reduce the engineering complications associated with the original alignment. He maintained that the government had no regrets about the decision, despite petitions against the realignment.
However, Atiku, in a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, said the changes to the coastal highway raised fundamental questions about the planning, execution and financing of the multibillion-dollar project.
The former vice president questioned whether the government had adequately assessed the terrain, flooding risks and other engineering challenges before awarding the contract.
“Tinubu sold Nigerians a coastal highway. Now his minister says parts of it will follow an existing road inland. That is not a minor adjustment to a drawing. It strikes at the promise used to sell this enormous project. When the route changes, the price must be opened. When the work changes, the payments must be explained,” he said.
Atiku demanded the release of the original feasibility studies, environmental assessments and route maps, alongside the revised designs, to establish why the changes became necessary after the contract had been awarded and how they would affect the project’s overall cost.
“Minister David Umahi should stop offering engineering explanations without the engineering documents. Publish the original studies. Publish the revised design. Let Nigerians see what this government knew and when it knew it,” he said.
He also demanded details of the portions of the original contract that had been removed, the amounts already paid to contractors and the revised contract sum.
The former vice president called for the publication of the bills of quantities, contract variations, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) approvals and payment certificates associated with the project, arguing that the documents were necessary to determine whether the changes were justified and how they would affect public expenditure.
“Nigerians are not against roads. They are against secret bills for changing plans. Tinubu must show the route, show the accounts and show the loan request,” he said.
Atiku further alleged that his camp had received intelligence suggesting that the government was considering a loan request of up to $20 billion, reportedly linked to payments associated with the highway and Hitech Construction Company.
He challenged Tinubu to clarify whether the administration was preparing to seek National Assembly approval for the facility and whether any portion of the proposed borrowing would be used to finance payments to Hitech.
“Tinubu must answer this himself. Is a $20 billion request being prepared for the National Assembly? Is any part of that money meant for Hitech? What contract, what section of road and what certified work would justify the payment?” he asked.
Atiku also alleged that some lawmakers had been threatened with the withholding of campaign funds unless they approved the anticipated borrowing request. He urged the leadership of the National Assembly to investigate the allegation.
He called on the federal government to disclose the proposed loan terms, identify the contracts to be financed and publish payments already made, insisting that a public hearing should precede any further financing for the coastal highway.